


A Specialist In His Field

by Hino



Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: An idea that came to me some time ago and took me a while to get on, Everyone says about Coomer in Biological Research but what about Tommy, Gen, He's not as stuttery and bumbling as in VRAI but he's also like 25 in this and not 37 so /shrug, Lots of unethical science, Some amount of gore, That guy made a DOG, Tommy is smart and cool and a great scientist, Vaguely mentioned medical procedures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-16
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,414
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26494048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hino/pseuds/Hino
Summary: Tommy Coolatta is a young twenty-three year old scientist at Black Mesa. He's been shuffled around departments for two years, and he's finally found his place in the Nuclear Reactor division."DOCTOR COOLATTA." The VOX came to life, sterile monotone coming through the tinny ceiling speakers. "REPORT TO BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. IMMEDIATELY."He's not looking forward to this.
Comments: 14
Kudos: 92





	1. The VOX Calls Your Name

The call from the head of Biological Research came in the middle of lunch break. Tommy had been sitting in the break room, reading the notes on the bulletin board and sipping a soda. Someone in Anomalous Materials had asked for people to join their Dungeons and Dragons group. Cybernetics had put out yet another call for volunteers, claiming that they needed 'young and healthy applicants' for their experiments with Power Lungs.

"DOCTOR COOLATTA." The VOX came to life, sterile monotone coming through the tinny ceiling speakers. "REPORT TO BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. IMMEDIATELY."

Tommy sighed, lowering the can onto the table. He was hoping his discovery had been somewhat secret. Apparently nobody in Black Mesa could keep a secret. Either that, or the cameras he'd been scouring his personal quarters for were better hidden than all the other 'secret cameras' in the facility.

Either way, now Biological Research knew. It was a matter of time anyway.

"Transferring departments again, Doctor Coolatta?" asked one of his table-mates. She was a younger doctor, having only joined Biological Research the year before. "Isn't this your third department?"

"Fourth," Tommy answered, getting to his feet. He'd only been working at Black Mesa since his 21st birthday, balancing it with his time in College, but in the two years he'd been there, Black Mesa staff had moved him from Cybernetics to Mixology to the Nuclear Reactor Division. "I'm getting tired of moving my locker, Doctor Byern."

She laughed. "Try not to let them push you around. They talk big, but they're desperate for manpower."

Grabbing the half-full can, Tommy rounded the table and moved for the door. "Will do." With a small wave and a smile, Tommy entered the hallway, smile dropping the second he was out of sight.

He was not looking forward to this conversation.

The tram to Biological Research was short, and Tommy wished it was longer. A few scientists had seen him heading that way and held back a laugh. Others had spared him a look and murmured to themselves. 

Tommy had a reputation and he knew it. Being shuffled around departments so fast and without reason had led some of the younger members of staff to make up their own reasons. One of them was that he tried to sabotage projects.

He didn't. But the others didn't believe him.

Exiting the catwalk leading to the trams, Tommy followed the line along the walls that directed him to the elevators. The sixth floor was where the head of the department had their office, and as the elevator slowly carried him up, Tommy tried to clear his mind.

If the head of the department was there to ask what Tommy thought he was going to ask, then Tommy had the upper hand. He was the one holding all the cards, and the department head was going to need a damn good reason for him to join their team. He was quite enjoying working in the Nuclear Reactor, and if they wanted to make him move, it better be worth it.

The elevator doors opened, interrupting Tommy's hypothetical retort to a pay increase of 17 cents. Stepping out, he found himself in a small reception area with several offices branching off it. One larger office took up the entire back wall, decorated with potted plants and posters of rock bands amid diplomas and other academic achievements.

Tommy approached with haste. The faster he got this over with, the better. He didn't even bother to knock, instead entering without any kind of fanfare. If he didn't take it seriously and made his irritation well-known, then it was more likely that the department head would work harder to earn his favour.

It worked. As the door swung open, a middle-aged man scrambled to his feet, trying to neatly stack the papers he'd been going through. His labcoat was pristine, unlike Tommy's which had a few stains from his time at Mixology, as well as a hole on the hem from stray nuclear waste. Tommy scowled at him. The man had probably never even stepped inside a lab.

"Doctor Coolatta, I'm glad you came." Moving around the desk, he rushed to shake Tommy's hand. Tommy tried to resist, but the other man took it and shook anyway. "My name is Arthur Hikenboth. I'm head of the department."

"I'm aware." Tommy took back his hand and wiped it on his coat. "What did you call me here for?"

Hikenboth takes a step back, sensing that Tommy is unpleased. "Ah, right. Well, there's been word that you, Doctor Coolatta, are uh, well acquainted with Biological Research. That is, you know your way around genetic modification. I believe it was uh, a dog? You made a dog?"

Tommy crossed his arms and shifted his weight. "Sunkist." 

"Yes!" answered Hikenboth. "You made Sunkist, the dog, right? Is- Is it stable?"

"Yes..." Tommy replied. He was right in his assumption. Black Mesa knew about his dog, and they wanted something from him in relation to it. "He is."

Hikenboth paced back to his desk, looking at some papers. "Doctor Coolatta, we- We'd really like- Well, if you would-"

Annoyance began to show on Tommy's face. He wanted another soda.

It was noticed by Hikenboth. "Doctor Coolatta, would you join the Biological Research Department's Top Secret Project?"

Tommy knew that this was an attempt to recruit him onto the Biological Research team. What he didn't know was that there was already a top secret project waiting for him. "No."

"Doctor Coolatta!" Hikenboth picked up a stack of papers and handed them over to Tommy desperately. "We've been working on this project for two years already, and we've barely made any progress. Most of our prototypes don't last longer than a week! Even more of them can't maintain a physical form! But your work with Sunkist, your dog, could be the turning point! You could help us make the perfect human!"

The enthusiasm in Hikenboth's voice started to make Tommy uncomfortable. "A dog is pretty different to a person."

"Humans and Dogs have some overlapping DNA! Surely with you on the team, Doctor, we'll be able to work out what's going wrong with our research! We could make a scientific revolution!"

"I disagree." Tommy began to back up. His fingers itched to play with the ringpull of a can, or to run through Sunkist's fur. "Excuse me."

"Please think about it!" Hikenboth sounded almost manic, voice loud and high as he tried to sway Tommy over. "We can supply you with a full team, and more then enough funding!"

Tommy looked down at the papers in his hands. The words "Perfect Human" were written on the front, a simple title for the several hundreds of pages that followed full of science and hypothesis. "I have work to do," Tommy said, opening the door.

"Doctor Coolatta, this-" The slam of the door silenced Hikenboth as Tommy walked towards the elevator, stride confident and quick. The papers weighed heavy in his hands, both physical and mental as he pressed the 'down' button. A ping signaled the elevator had arrived.

The meeting had exhausted him, and there was no way he was going back to work after that. He'd call his boss in a minute and ask for the afternoon off. Go back to his dorms. Pat Sunkist. Drink Soda. Maybe even drink a beer. Forget this meeting ever happened.

He sighed as the elevator dinged for the bottom floor, almost certain that the 'Department Reassignment' papers were being written at that moment.


	2. Your Dog Sings To You

Sliding the key into his dorm's lock brought a wave of relief that washed over Tommy. He could hear the sound of clicking nails on the other side, a sure signal that Sunkist was waiting for him, seated just a few steps away from the door.

"Hey boy," Tommy called as he twisted the key, listening to the thick lock slide open. He twisted the handle and slipped in, relieved to find that the air conditioner had been flicked on. Sunkist really was perfect in every way. "I've had a Day."

Sunkist barked, standing and coming to a halt beside Tommy. His hand rested on the dog's head immediately, ruffling his fur. "It's really been quite a time. Can I tell you about it?"

Again, Sunkist barked. Tommy sat down, taking off his shoes. Sunkist picked up the stack of papers he'd set aside, carrying them over to the small coffee table beside the couch before returning to take Tommy's keys and wallet over to the kitchen bench, just above the sink. Tommy hadn't worked out how they'd managed to get things up there so nicely, but he supposed it came with the territory. A Perfect Dog could do anything it wanted, and in any way it wanted, he supposed.

He still needed to run some tests on that.

Sunkist barked gently, and this time a small string of gold orbs came out, followed by blue.

Tommy raised an eyebrow. That was something else he needed to run some tests on.

Settling down on the couch, Tommy grabbed a small notepad he kept in his labcoat. "Sunkist, come here."

They obeyed, coming to a stop before Tommy. 

"Can you... do that again? With the colours?" He held the pencil tightly as Sunkist barked, once again creating a stream of gold and blue orbs. Tommy began to scribble down notes, writing down the hexcode of each orb, along with the amount and duration. Sunkist's pitch changed too as they barked, which Tommy noted, hastily scribbling down some makeshift sheet music. Whenever the orbs had faded, or he needed to test the viscosity of them, or examine how well two orbs melded and whether the colours became more of a gradient or remained separate, Sunkist would bark again, exactly the same each time.

Three hours later, Tommy had an understanding. "Gold like the Ore to an Ocean's deep blue, that means I love you." He looked at the notes, and then to Sunkist. "Did- Did I get it right?"

Sunkist barked again, dancing on the spot and then chasing his tail before coming to a stop before Tommy again, tail wagging furiously. Tommy's face lit up. "I love you too Sunkist!"

He leaned forward, wrapping his arms around Sunkist. His hug was tight and Sunkist snuggled into it, doing his best to return the motion. "You're such a good dog, Sunkist. The Perfect Dog!"

Ah. Right. Perfect.

It reminded him of earlier, of the meeting he'd had that afternoon and the papers currently sitting beside the couch on the small table. "Sunkist, hop down. I... I have to do some reading. Is that okay? Can I read it by myself? I mean, it's- it's classified so..."

Sunkist pulled away, moving to pick up the thick clump of papers and bring them to Tommy. He took them, giving a pat on the head in return. "Thanks Sunkist. Hey, I'll play with you later, okay? We'll go for a walk. Find that Black Mesa Underground Park that all the Scientists keep talking about, hey?"

That seemed to brighten up the mood. Sunkist trotted off to the kitchen, cupboards clattering as they began to rifle through. Tommy smiled, settling down into the cushions as he let his eyes rest on the title again. Perfect Human. Creating a human from scratch out of chemicals, and making them perfect.

This wasn't right, and it was going to be an absolute mess.

It was, in fact, an absolute mess.

The Biological Research Team had apparently been working on artificial humans for a long time. They'd been working on cloning, and had just managed to get that working only a few months ago. In terms of artificial humans though, they were doing awful. Some 'prototypes' as they called them had been made, but those had been either made out of animal fetuses mixed with human DNA and a metric fuckton of chemicals, or had been the result of what equated to putting a bunch of random objects in a blender and electrifying the results.

"Using the rats from the 'Hivemind Duplication' experiments, we put them in the test tubes with several other projects, including the 'Mogwai' experiment, the 'Assimilation' experiment, and the 'Sollux' exper- What the fuck are they doing?"

Tommy threw the stack of papers onto the couch beside him, sinking down into the cushions. "What is Black Mesa doing, Sunkist?"

Sunkist barked, placing their head on Tommy's knees. He leaned forward to ruffle their perfect fur. 

The way he'd made Sunkist was a mix of luck, knowledge, and assistance from his father. While he didn't know the man well, when Tommy had mentioned wanting to make the Perfect Dog, his father, G-Man as Tommy had heard him be called, had offered assistance.

Tommy had done a good majority of the work himself, sourcing up parts of recently deceased dogs, chemicals that had shown to prolong cell life, and a small myriad of other things. There'd been failures, of course. It wasn't a first-try attempt to get Sunkist as perfect as he was.

But his father, he'd offered the final piece. A small vial of DNA had tipped the scales, changing what would have become something akin to a dog, which would have only lasted an hour or so before decomposing, into the Perfect Dog.

His father had left before Sunkist had escaped the creation chamber, but Tommy had thanked him endlessly.

"Do you think Dad wants to help with the project?" Tommy asked, scratching under Sunkist's chin. Sunkist barked in response, a trail of yellow like the sand of the shore floating out.

Tommy sighed. "Can I translate that one too?"

Sunkist yipped happily.


	3. Your Boss Rings Your Phone

The phone call came at four in the morning, which was fortunate because Tommy hadn't fallen asleep yet. Instead he'd made a comprehensive list of Sunkist's colourful barks, something he'd dubbed "Sweet Voice" after accidentally having some of it leak onto his fingers while testing viscosity.

Tired but still alert, Tommy accepted the call with a informal 'N'yeah?', pressing a hand to his mouth in attempts to stifle a yawn.

"Doctor Thomas Dunkaccino Coolatta?" came the professional voice on the other end. 

Tommy sat up straight. "Doctor Perth." His boss from the Nuclear Reactor Division. "What can I do for you?"

There was the rustle of papers on the other end and Tommy frowned. "I've received a request from Doctor Hikenboth. A request for you to be moved to Biological Research. Normally I'd decline this request, but it seems that the Head of the Company has signed off on it, as well as a 'G Coolatta'. Do you know them?"

"Y-Yeah..." Tommy leaned into the couch. "Yeah, I know him."

Well that answered Tommy's question about whether his father wanted him to participate in such a thing. Doctor Perth cleared his throat. "Listen, Doctor Coolatta. I don't want to let you go from this division, but there's nothing I can do. However, I will keep a position open for you here, if things don't go well. I'm well aware of the rumours surrounding you and your movements between departments." There was a beat of silence. "You're always welcome here, Doctor Coolatta."

Tommy smiled. "Thank you, Doctor Perth."

"Get some sleep, Thomas."

"Thank you, Frederick."

The line fell silent, the sound of disconnection coming a moment later. With that silence came a feeling in Tommy's chest, small at first but growing into a gentle sting that overtook him. His eyes began to water, breath hitching as he set down the phone beside him. Sunkist approached, setting a paw on Tommy's knee and barking out colours of the morning sky.

Tommy smiled, shaky but genuine. A morning sky. It's okay to cry.

He wrapped his arms around Sunkist and buried his face in their fur. Nobody had ever welcomed him into a department like that. The other ones had let him go and never bothered to keep in contact, his coworkers eventually succumbing to the rumours that followed him, giving wary stares as news of another transfer came through.

To have his spot reserved in the Nuclear Reactor Division meant more than Tommy could ever say. "He's nice, isn't he Sunkist?"

Sunkist barked again, tail wagging. Many Shades of Red. Time to go to Bed.

Tommy sniffled, wiping his eyes on his sleeves. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Thanks buddy."

Another string of Sweet Voice barks answered him, although this time Tommy had no translation. Instead he just smiled and heaved himself off the couch, motioning for Sunkist to follow as he dragged himself towards the bed, preparing to pass out for several hours.

He did, in fact, pass out for several hours. When Tommy managed to wake up, the few beams of light that lit up his above-ground quarters signaled that yes, it was in fact daytime, and far past the time he was due to work.

"Mmm, what time is it?" he grumbled, slowly rubbing at his face in an attempt to wake himself up.

His answer came in ten quiet barks, delivered almost straight into his ear by Sunkist, who was sitting next to the bed. "...Thanks."

The bed dipped as Sunkist climbed onto it, settling down between Tommy's legs and curling up. Tommy ignored it, instead looking at his phone to see what he'd missed. Seventeen messages from Doctor Hikenboth, two missed calls, an email alert about a broken vending machine, an important notice about the "Coomer Experiment" being dispersed through Biological Research (although Tommy had no idea what that was), and a message from a contact labelled "G-Man".

Well that woke him up. Rubbing at his face again, Tommy opened the message, scrambling to get his thoughts in order as he quietly read the message to himself.

"Tommy. I am aware you enjoyed the Nuclear Reactor Division. However, I require your assistance in Biological Research. My Employers would like to see this come to fruition, but have tasked me with far more than I am capable of without compromising the quality or efficiency of my actions. I apologize for tasking you with this, but I am unable to trust anyone else with such a task."

A groan escaped him, holding the phone up as he buried his face in his pillow. Doing tasks for his father was always unpleasant. He'd only done a few jobs on his behalf, but they had all ended up with Tommy feeling wiped, and with someone dead as a result.

Admittedly, those deaths had been in Aperture Science so nobody knew he was responsible, but still.

Reluctantly, he texted back a reply. "Sure thing. I can handle it :)"

The smiley emote was a lie, but he didn't get much time to think back on it as his phone vibrated with another message.

"I'm very proud of you Tommy," he mumbled to himself, reading the message out. It didn't fill him with any kind of joy or glee. All that filled him was a sense of dread and a weight in his stomach that made it even more difficult to get out of bed.

It took two more ignored phonecalls to convince him to get up. He took the third call, feigning sleep as he listened to the frantic voice of Doctor Hikenboth on the other end.

"Doctor Coolatta! I- Last night the- The papers finalizing your transfer were submitted, surely you- Well, did you read the project files I gave you?"

Tommy held back his sigh. "Yes sir."

"And? What did you think? Can- Do you think you can do it?"

He knew what he was meant to say. The words were heavy in the back of his throat, weighing down his tongue as he sat up in some attempt to answer. "...Yes, sir. I'll be ready in an hour."

Hikenboth's voice lit up in what could have been described as childish joy. "Oh thank you! Please, take your time! You'll be required to stop by Security to have your clearance level bumped up to five! Then- Then you'll be able to enter the Lambda Lab's Top Secret facility."

Tommy refrained from commenting that he already could get into those places, even with his lower security clearance, merely by phasing through the walls. Instead, he simply replied "of course, Doctor Hikenboth. Will I be needed in a specific area?"

"Report to the 18th Lambda-Alpha chamber. I'll- I'll be there waiting for you! I look forward to hearing what you think about our processes! You'll also get to meet the results of the Coomer Experiment, which I think will be very helpful!"

"Mmhm." Tommy rubbed at his face. "See you then."

Hikenboth continued to ramble about something but Tommy had already pulled the phone away from his ear, hanging up as the man began to excitedly explain something. "God damn it."

Sunkist sighed, prompting Tommy to lean forward and rest a hand on their head. "Thanks boy. You're the best... you know? The Perfect Dog," he softly laughed.

Gently, Sunkist barked.


	4. Your Senses Are Assaulted

Tommy took his time getting ready for the day, despite the assurance he'd be there in an hour or so. He dragged himself into the bathroom to shower, screeching out the lyrics to a Judas Priest album as he cleaned himself up. If his neighbour wanted to complain about it, let them. Tommy wasn't afraid to pull some strings in order to get out of trouble.

Half-dressed, Tommy wandered into his kitchen, pulling on his shirt. Sunkist was already making breakfast, frying pan handle in mouth as they flipped a pancake.

"Thanks boy," Tommy said, doing up the buttons on his shirt. "You wanna come to work today?"

Sunkist dropped the pan, suddenly whining. It clattered onto the stove, startling Tommy.

"W-What is it?" Tommy abandoned his quest to button his shirt, leaving it at three buttons. Sunkist whimpered, dropping to the floor and pressing flat against the kitchen tile. "Oh... Oh Sunkist." 

Bending down, he pulled the dog into his lap. "Tell me what's wrong, baby. Talk to me."

A stream of sweet voice, a translucent red and clear, spewed from Sunkist's mouth, filling the kitchen with a flurry of barks. Tommy watched it swirl around them, frantically trying to work it out. "A Red to Clear... You're full of fear?"

Another whimper from Sunkist as he buried his face into Tommy's chest. "Oh Sunkist, I'm not- I'm not gonna let Biological Research lay a hand on you. No- No not a hand, a finger. They won't get to touch you at all! And if they do, I'll gut them. I'll- I'll turn them into silly string, into string cheese!"

He held tight to Sunkist as he spoke, knotting fingers into their fur. "I won't let them do anything, and you know Dad won't either. He- We don't know him well but- but he's gonna keep us safe, you and me." His stutter was starting again, which was annoying considering it only really came out in stressful situations. Sure he'd get it every now and then, but it got significantly worse when he was scrambling to stay on top of things.

Slowly, the sweet voice began to dissipate, fading away until there was only a few traces of the vocalized doubt. Tommy simply waited until Sunkist was ready to get up.

With a soft bark, Sunkist backed up, turning back to the oven. He picked up the frying pan and held it out to Tommy, showing a perfectly cooked pancake.

Tommy could only laugh. Even in fear, Sunkist could cook perfectly.

Breakfast was quiet. Tommy ate his pancakes and Sunkist nibbled on some waffles (her preference over pancakes). Work was looming on the horizon, and he tried not to think about it.

"The perfect human..." Tommy lowered his fork, looking at Sunkist. "Dad's really got me this time..."

Sunkist gave a gentle bark in agreement. They'd seen a couple of Tommy's jobs, and all of them had ended up going sideways. It wasn't like they had much they could do to help, though. Sometimes it made them feel less than Perfect.

"I know..." Tommy rested a hand on their head. "Let's not think about it until we get there, okay? I'll make you a deal. No thinking about work while we're in the house, deal?"

A happy bark answered him, Tommy's hand being held out and taken by a paw. They shook for a moment, content, before returning to their breakfast, the silence around them now comfortable.

Sunkist didn't need a leash and collar. They were a well-behaved dog that listened to commands and liked to stick close to Tommy.

Black Mesa however had a policy that made leashes mandatory, no matter the animal, no matter the reason they were coming into the facility. But there was a loophole, something they hadn't at all expected.

That was why Tommy strolled into Biological Research with a half-empty can of soda in hand, Sunkist at his side with a leash in their mouth. They were wearing a vest that read 'NON-SPECIMEN' in bright red letters, given to them by Tommy in some hope it would stop scientists assuming that Sunkist had escaped from somewhere.

Scientists gave them strange looks as they slowly scanned their way through the Lambda-Alpha chambers. Security had only quirked an eyebrow as Tommy had his Security Clearance bumped up, but these guys were far more affected, whispering and shuffling around as Tommy passed Lambda-Alpha's 10th chamber.

At the door to the 18th chamber, Tommy was stopped by Byern, surprise written into her face. "Doctor Coolatta, is that you? Are you lost?"

He smiled at her. "This is the door to the 18th Lambda-Alpha lab, right?"

Byern raised an eyebrow. "Someone make friends with Hikenboth?"

"He was begging me to come onto the project. Literally." Tommy shifted his weight from one foot to the other. Sunkist barked to back up his claim. "I think it'll be great."

"And here I thought I'd make it to the 18th lab before you even breached the 10th." Despite the resignation in her words, Byern smiled at Tommy. "I hope you have fun in there, Doctor Coolatta. Oh, and you, Sunkist."

Tommy scanned his ID against the panel, gripping the door handle. "Have a wonderful day Lyria."

"And you, Thomas," she answered as the door shut behind him.

The 18th lab seemed normal, or as normal as the Lambda-Alpha labs had been. Sure there was some OSHA violating science happening near the door from the 17th lab, but Tommy could swallow his complaints. Right now, he didn't want to think about how much trouble they could get into.

But as Tommy turned the corner, Sunkist close to his side, the tone of everything changed. Something crackled in the air, and the normalcy that had been displayed in the past 17 labs immediately vanished, replaced with large tubes filled with bodies, or what resembled bodies, all floating in a turquoise-blue liquid.

"Sunkist..." Tommy began quietly, reaching a hand down towards the dog. Sunkist placed the leash in Tommy's hand, pressing up against his leg with a whimper. "This feels wrong."

With a trail of Violet hues, Sunkist agreed.

When Tommy had been working on Sunkist, the energy in the room had been hopeful. Even when disappointment had come, Tommy took what he'd learned and built upon it. The air tasted like soda and candy, masking the smell of dead dog and partial decay as Tommy moved a failed experiment to the table for inspection and then later, disposal.

But here the air tasted of antiseptic and copper, a strong smell that hung in the nose and stuck in the back of the throat, unable to be dislodged with a cough. Humanoid bodies slowly came apart in tubes, and as Tommy had to physically stop as one of the tubes ahead of him cracked and split, spilling liquid onto the floor.

A foul smell followed, a mix of blood and bile as a half-formed person tumbled out of it, writhing on the ground among the broken glass for a moment before falling still. The liquid threatened to touch Tommy's shoes and he backed up, guiding Sunkist with him as scientists all rushed forward to eagerly inspect their creation.

Tommy raised a sleeve to his nose and quietly pitied Sunkist. "What the hell..."

"You made it!" A hand landed hard on Tommy's shoulder, startling the man. "It's good to see you, Doctor Coolatta."

Tommy turned, finding himself face-to-face with Doctor Hikenboth. He was smiling, a contrast to the concern on Tommy's face. "Hello," came Tommy's muffled answer. "I see you've been busy."

Hikenboth nodded, looking past Tommy to the gathered mass of scientists. "That was our best prototype yet," he said. "We've gone through about ten this past week, but we're not having any luck."

"Ten?" Tommy pulled the leash through his hands to try and calm himself as he looked back to the humanoid mess on the floor. He hadn't gone through his prototypes for Sunkist nearly as fast. "That seems unusual."

"Yes well, we're trying a new method. Seeing as the Hivemind is up and running, we thought we'd change our approach, but- Oh!" Doctor Hikenboth quickly stepped away from Tommy, grabbing the shoulder of an older man and motioning for him to follow. "Doctor Coolatta, this is Doctor Coomer."

The man smiled. "I'm Doctor Coomer, number 32!" he greeted cheerfully. Tommy looked at him with surprise, noting his greying hair and remarkably strong arms. Arms that most certainly did not belong on a scientist. "I'm part of the Hivemind Experiment, assigned here as of today! However, I can help you with any questions you have about Biological Research."

"Could you tell Doctor Coolatta about our changes to the Perfect Human project? I have to help with the autopsy on 4R7HUR, and then check out 5T3V3's recovery from the Gene Injection."

"Of course, Doctor Hikenboth!" Coomer offered a smile as Hikenboth quickly rushed away, leaving Tommy and Sunkist in the care of the older scientist. "Now Doctor Coolatta, let me explain how the project has changed from the briefing!"


	5. You Have Some Work Ahead Of You

As it turned out, the method hadn't changed much from the briefing. Instead of being incubated for three weeks and then having additional chemicals injected to the suspension liquid, subjects were being incubated for three and a half weeks. Additionally, with the successful implementation of the Hivemind, additional DNA was being stitched into the prototypes in an attempt to stabilize them.

"The one you saw today was 4R7HUR, or 'Arthur', as I like to call it!" Coomer explained, smiling at Tommy. They'd moved to Coomer's office, which was currently occupied by two other members of the Hivemind, Coomers 31 and 33 respectively. "They're the first member of the new experiment to reach maturity. Well, they're actually an exception to the normal methods. Arthur was created with the three week incubation period, but with the Hivemind DNA. I'm sure it'll produce some interesting results in the autopsy!"

"Certainly!" agreed the other two clones, looking towards Tommy with their own smiles before returning to the paperwork scattered across their desks. Sunkist pressed up against Tommy, gently whining.

Tommy rested a hand on the dog's head, finding comfort in the feel of its fur. "How many prototypes does the department go through in a week?" he asked. It was a fair question to ask, and it'd point him in the right direction.

Coomer paused, eyes vacant. The other two clones did as well, although they all began moving a moment later. "Why, about seven hundred and eighty two, my good Doctor!"

A cold chill ran along Tommy's spine. "O-Oh..."

"Some of the DNA is salvaged from those who could not make it and is implanted in future protoypes. Like an inheritance!"

That did nothing for Tommy's nerves. In fact, it made him deeply uncomfortable, although he tried to mask it. Sunkist noticed, but elected to stay quiet. Tommy was grateful for that.

Having filled the criteria Doctor Hikenboth had asked for, Coomer stood. "Doctor Coolatta, would you like to see some of our samples?"

His stomach was still twisted in knots, but Tommy forced himself to answer. "Yes, I- I think that'd be good. Can I take notes?"

"Of course!" Coomer rounded the desk and slapped a hand on Tommy's shoulder. It was strong, a far stronger than anyone should be able to casually dish out, but Tommy managed to withstand without buckling. "We highly encourage the note-taking!"

"Good." Tommy grabbed Sunkist's lead and followed Coomer out of the office, sparing glances to his four-legged companion as they trod down winding halls.

The samples from the prototypes are interesting, as in they're so far off from what Tommy had expected to see that he's honestly wondering if he's joined a competent team.

In the paperwork, they had said essentially said they were throwing things at walls to see what stuck, but Tommy didn't realize how true that was. Each sample he inspected showed no sign of prolonged cell life, advanced intelligence, or anything resembling standard humanoid gene sequences.

"They're really clueless, huh." It'd slipped out, but Tommy still scrambled to cover his tracks. "I-I mean, humans are very-"

"They have no idea what they're doing." Coomer smiled, although this one seemed sad. "I must admit, I am not awfully fond of the techniques they are using. However, I am also part of Black Mesa's experiments. The Hivemind is always being experimented with, after all! If I were to voice my complaints, why I feel the Hivemind would be subject to an experiment detailing the death of a fragment!"

Tommy flinched at that, looking back to a small sample on the table; a pulsing chunk of muscle that twitched and spasmed with no nerves to control it. A decaying mess of meat trying to continue its futile existence.

Sunkist pressed up against Tommy, whining low. A small ball of sweet voice came from their mouth, and Doctor Coomer raised an eyebrow. "Doctor Coolatta, what is that?"

"Hm?" Tommy looked, spotting the crimson orb. "O-Oh! That- That's nothing, Sunkist, he, he just-" The stutter was manifesting again. It made Tommy feel nervous, which in turn worsened it.

Doctor Coomer simply watched as Tommy fumbled over himself, taking a deep breath before letting out a slow stream of rainbow lights, voice akin to the low strum of a bass guitar.

Tommy stopped, blinking owlishly. Sunkist stared. Then, he barked, yellow and black drifting in the air.

Coomer simply nodded, singing out a reply in a bright neon green.

Exhausted, Tommy laughed. "Well I'll be damned..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter, apologies. I've a bit of block right now and I probably should be rereading chapters for continuity.
> 
> Anyway Sweet voice translations for the end!  
> Yellow and Black like a Bee - You understand me?  
> Neon Green like Goo - I understand you!


	6. Your Attempt At Unwinding Is Thwarted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's drinking in the second half of the chapter if that bothers you.

As it turned out, Doctor Coomer had quite the wealth of Sweet Voice information. While he himself was only part of the hivemind and had existed as himself for only a few months, other members who had existed longer, or been brought into the mass of thoughts later, had already learned to play with the concept.

"I assure you there is no pain involved!" Coomer explained, having sung out a note in orange. "In fact there is pain only when repressing it!"

Tommy nodded, scribbling down notes in his small notepad. "Do the other scientists know about it?"

"Only the ones involved with the 'Hivemind Duplication' experiments." With a grin, Coomer lent down to pat Sunkist on the head. "They say that the 'Sweet Voice' was a byproduct of a DNA sample brought in by a strange man in a suit."

Despite the smile on Tommy's face, his stomach dropped. "Is that right..."

Grinning in a way that felt more on reflex than from genuine joy, Coomer continued to explain. "Yes! I believe the sample was from a location by the name of 'Xen', which is inhabited by strange, otherworld beings. Aliens, if you will!"

"Ahaha, how strange!" Tommy smiled, baring his teeth. He hoped it felt friendly. 

It felt more like a declaration of violence.

"Strange indeed!" The doctor opened his mouth again to speak but paused, eyes glazed momentarily. "It appears I am needed elsewhere, Doctor Coolatta. I wish you a good afternoon, and good luck with your work!"

"Thanks, you too!" Tommy answered far too chipper, watching as Doctor Coomer left.

It was only when the man was gone, leaving Tommy and Sunkist alone with the specimens, that he felt his knees buckle.

Sunkist caught him, letting Tommy drape over them. A gentle bark came from his maw, trying to look at Tommy.

The man didn't meet Sunkist's gaze, instead pulling out his phone. "I can't believe it. You're... And he's... They're..."

He was hovering over his father's contact details, debating on whether to call or not. He wanted to shout, but what would he even yell about? The fact Sunkist was part alien? That the hivemind was part alien? That Sunkist and the hivemind were technically related?

The fact he wasn't special enough to have this amazing thing to himself?

Tommy sighed bitterly, slipping his phone back into his pocket. He had work to do. Taking notes on the specimens while alone would be more useful to him than with Coomer by his side. At least without the older man, Tommy felt comfortable making comparisons with his own research on Sunkist.

He still felt weird with Biological Research knowing all the details. The fact Hikenboth knew _he_ was the one who made Sunkist was already far too much.

Tommy needed a drink, and given the way Sunkist was looking at him, they needed one too.

There were a few things Tommy realized as he went over his notes, inspecting the samples by himself.

Hikenboth had said they'd gone through ten samples that week. Coomer had said seven hundred and eighty two. The numbers didn't add up.

Which led Tommy to two concepts: either Hikenboth was only counting the new prototypes which they'd just impleemented the testing protocols for, or seven hundred and eighty two prototypes died every week, and only ten of them would result in unrecycleable DNA. Perhaps at a certain point of gestation, they became unable to be... recycled.

Tommy hated using the word, but it was true.

He'd have to talk to someone about this later.

The second the clock hit five, Tommy was out of the lab, Sunkist on his heels. The prototypes research was driving him up the wall, and it seemed every scientist had a different batch of information, leading to inconsistencies.

Tommy had almost torn his hair out, only saved when Doctor Coomer #32 had come across him and gently untangled the strands. "Tearing your hair out will only make the data harder to understand!" he'd said.

While he hadn't understood it entirely, Tommy got the message behind it.

So when he'd finished work, he'd bundled up his notes and his anxiety and taken them topside, lining up alongside a handful of other scientists and security guards to catch the bus to the nearest little town. They had a rather well-stocked bar there, and Black Mesa had a deal to get cheap drinks that tasted better than the swill on base, so more often than not, staff ended up there.

Getting Sunkist inside took a bit of work, but Tommy was persuasive. Despite his father's lack of presence in his life, he still managed to inherit some of the more abstract parts of his father's genetics.

Passing through solid walls was one thing, and being incredibly good at getting people to do what you wanted was another.

The gentle glow of his eyes went unnoticed by others as Tommy politely asked for Sunkist to come inside. He insisted that Sunkist would wear a leash, and was very good, and listened to commands, and with a flutter of his eyelashes and some interdimensional powers, Sunkist was allowed inside.

It didn't take long for Tommy to find a booth for himself and Sunkist to occupy, and he left his faithful companion to hold the fort while he ventured up to the bar, placing an order.

"Two Long Island Ice Teas, a Scotch on the Rocks, and a glass consisting of nothing but Vodka and two ice cubes."

The bartender blinked. "Rough night?" they asked, hands slowly moving towards the glasses.

"Long day," Tommy answered, pulling out an handful of notes and handing them over.

"Sometimes it gets that way," the bartender answered, making three of the four drinks. "Uh, about this vodka deal..."

"Ten extra bucks if you don't say anything."

"You got it."

Tommy carried the drinks back to his table, setting down the two Long Islands for himself and sliding the Scotch over to Sunkist. "You should be fine with that, right boy?"

"He will be fine," answered a voice, startling Tommy. He looked up from his drinks, finding his father sitting in the booth with him, a hand resting on Sunkist's back and gently ruffling his fur. "Sunkist cannot be poisoned."

"D-Dad. Hi. Uh, you're at a bar. I didn't think you went to bars." Slowly, Tommy slid the vodka glass over. He hadn't intended on drinking the glass himself, but there'd been a few Coomer Clones drifting around the bar in poor disguises, and he had thought of inviting them over for a drink.

G-Man adjusted his sleeves, pulling the glass into his hands. "I am not usually... a 'fan' of bars. However, I thought it would be nice to... visit one. Talk to my son." He smiled at Tommy, awkward but genuine.

Tommy responded in turn, taking a sip of his drink. "You uh- What did you wanna talk about?" Nervously, Tommy looked to Sunkist, watching him lap up the alcohol.

"Are you enjoying... the new department?" G-Man raised the glass of pure vodka, sipping at it expressionless.

It stunned Tommy into silence, mouth flapping uselessly as he tried to find the words to answer his father. "...Humans can't drink that," he answered instead.

G-Man tilted his head. "Would you explain what- What a human would drink?"

Taking a breath, Tommy began to explain.

The two Long Islands eased the stress of work, although that stress returned in the form of G-Man and his lack of human understanding.

Slamming the table, Tommy leaned over, pointing a finger at his father. "Y'just- The body toler- tolera- body liking for alcohol is low! S'got a limit! Can't- Too much booze and they die! It all falls apart!"

"I do not understand what this clear liquid has that water... does not."

"It's poison!" Tommy got to his feet, swiping the half-finished cup away from his father's hands. "It's just- S'full of poison! It's what the kidney did- do. It does that de-poisoning!"

"I did wonder what a kid-knee was for." Placing a hand over his stomach, G-Man tried to focus on where his kidneys would be. "I am unable to be poisoned, so I did not see a use for them. I removed them."

Tommy opened his mouth to speak.

He closed it.

He turned towards the bar and prepared for another drink.

It was three in the morning when G-Man made the call to take Tommy home. The man had long since passed out on the table, several glasses of varying alcoholic drinks scattered across the surface. Sunkist hadn't fallen asleep, but instead sat pressed up against G-Man, relaxing in the quiet din of the bar.

Most of the patrons had gone home already, while a few either had fallen asleep in their booths, or were enjoying themselves with a round of darts. Sleeping in this particular bar was fine, it just meant they sent a bill to Black Mesa under your name for the overtime fees they'd incur to watch over you.

"It's time for you to... go home, isn't it?" G-Man turned to Sunkist, gently tapping the dog on the head. Sunkist softly boofed an orb of pale yellow-cream. 

G-Man nodded in response, getting up from his seat. Sunkist followed, watching as Tommy was gently scooped up, held against his father like he was nothing more than a small child.

Despite the height on him, he seemed small in his father's arms. "Come Sunkist, I believe you should, perhaps, get some sleep."

Sunkist barked in response.

The air in the bar became thick for a fraction of a second before settling, just as it had been before. Nobody noticed the empty table, occupied only by dirty glasses, and if anyone had seen it, they'd merely suppose the staff had been slacking.

The darkness parted for G-Man and Sunkist as they took Thomas Dunkaccino Coolatta home.


End file.
